


"Come in, Abel Township"

by books_are_my_patronus1397



Series: The only 5am I wake up for [1]
Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23503096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/books_are_my_patronus1397/pseuds/books_are_my_patronus1397
Summary: A civilian from Mullins Military Base is assigned to the mysterious Project Greenshoot and ordered to go to a small, unremarkable place called Abel Township to receive her orders.  When her helicopter is shot out of the sky, she has no choice but to count on the people at Abel to help her survive.
Relationships: Runner Five/Sam Yao
Series: The only 5am I wake up for [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/849882
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	"Come in, Abel Township"

**Author's Note:**

> Covers S1M1 "Jolly Alpha Five Niner" and some of the 5K training missions.

She pushed open the door, as if walking into a battle zone. No one who was summoned to General Hargrove’s office was there for a good reason.

  


An older, balding man sat a desk as she entered. He finished reading through some files and closed a manila folder before finally recognizing her presence. 

  


“Civilian 1025-18?”

  


She forced herself not to smirk. He didn’t even know her name. All civilians were assigned a number and expected to memorize it. But the brass at Mullins never bothered to learn individual names unless you were really important.

  


She wasn’t important. “Yessir,” she said.

  


He nodded, but she wasn’t sure he would have cared if it was actually her or not. “Congratulations. You have been selected for Project Greenshoot.” 

  


She clasped her hands behind her back and stared at an empty spot on the wall above Hargrove’s head. She had so far done her best to avoid personal interactions with the man or notice by anyone in charge. She had learned her lesson many times before not to ask too many questions of people in command at Mullins base, particularly as a civilian with no family or connections to speak of. You keep your head down and you survive.

  


But she couldn’t help herself this time. Being selected for a top secret project didn’t bode well, and she knew absolutely nothing about this. “Project Greenshoot, sir?”

  


Already the man looked annoyed at her question. “You’ll receive your orders at Abel Township,” he said. But he said it quick enough to make her think that maybe he didn’t even know all of the details.

  


“Why me?” She asked, forgetting herself and looking directly at him. She realized he had managed at some point to put on a little extra weight since the apocalypse began. That’s what being at the top of the food chain, in one of the most secure bases in England, can do for you.

  


“You’ve shown yourself to be somewhat competent around the base,” the man mused. “And this is a project that needs to be kept has secret as possible.”

  


**Meaning I have no one who will miss me or wonder why I’m gone** , she thought with wry amusement. **Got it**.

  


“How long will I be at Abel Township?” She asked

  


The man’s thick brows came together. “It will be however long the mission requires,” he grumbled. “This place will not be as..smoothly run as Mullins. But I have every confidence you will make do until the time has come for you to return. And if you perform the job as expected, you will receive the compensation you deserve upon your return.”

  


She frowned, wondering what exactly they had signed her up for.

  


There was a knock at the door. “General! We have a new report from the ministry.”

  


“Thank you, James,” he called out. He then turned back to her. “A helicopter will take you to the Township in half an hour. The official story is we are providing food and supplies to the Township, and you are an additional helping hand. You have until then to pack whatever essentials you need.” 

  


***

  


The heavy, padded headphones sat uncomfortably on her head, but they did their job of muffling the roar of the rotating helicopter blades above them. 

  


“Abel Township’s just on the horizon—see it now?” the pilot nodded towards the windshield, her voice coming in through the headset.

  


She leaned forward, squinting just a bit. Nestled between the gently rolling hills of the English countryside she spotted a cluster of squat, uninteresting buildings. At this distance she couldn’t make out any details, but she did notice the fence encircling the Township as a slight blur in front of the buildings. It didn’t give her a lot of confidence. For the second time today she thought, **what exactly did they sign me up for?**

  


The pilot shook her head. “Not much more than a few fences to keep the zoms out. I don’t know how they live like that. Guess they won’t be living like that much longer.”

  


She didn’t respond, but her pilot didn’t seem to notice. Instead the pilot leaned forward and flipped a switch on the dashboard. “Abel Township—Joly Alpha Five Niner from Mullins Military Base. We’re five miles out, approaching from the east, bringing med supplies, shelters and loan of one our people. Abel Township—Jolly Alpha Five Niner, requesting permission to land.”

  


A crackle of static flared in her right ear followed by a hurried, male voice. _“Got that…uh, I-I mean, roger that. You’re clear to…yeah, you can, you can come on in.”_

  


She smiled, charmed despite herself. His flustered confirmation of their arrival told her that Abel—or at least their communications operator—was nothing like Mullins.

  


“Roger, Abel. Heading down now.” The pilot clicked the switch off again and then glanced towards her. “Okay, level with me. We both know we haven’t got half of the usual supplies. We lied to the township!”

  


She kept her focus resolutely on the dashboard, ignoring the twinge of guilt in her gut. She knew Mullins had the resources to give Abel all of what had been promised. When the General told her the cover story was a supply run she had at least thought they would provide enough supplies to fill the helicopter cargo bay. She knew Mullins had the resources to do so, but when she arrived at the landing field the cargo bay was embarrassingly empty. But it wasn’t like she could do anything to remedy the situation. She just hoped the Abel residents would be forgiving.

  


The pilot pursed her lips. “Yeah, I know, you don’t know anything.” Her tone said she didn’t believe it. 

  


She shrugged. Whatever her pilot chose to believe, she really didn’t know anything. And it was frustrating as hell.

  


Just then, she heard a distant boom and the helicopter jolted hard as something shot past them. She whipped her head around to the window, but she saw only a blanket of green fields below. The pilot looked around wildly. “Someone’s shooting! That’s not from the township…who the hell has a rocket launcher at the base?!”

  


The helicopter lurched again. The pilot struggled to keep the machine in the air Civilian 10985-18 lunged forward and hit the switch on the dashboard to connect back with the communications operator. “Abel T—!”

  


The helicopter bucked violently and her seatbelt cut into her stomach, barely holding her in her seat. The helicopter started to spin out of control and she gritted her teeth against the vertigo.

  


The pilot cursed. “We’ve been hit! I’ve lost the tail rotor. Mayday, mayday, mayday, Jolly Alpha Five Niner going down, three miles east of Abel Township. Two souls on board.”

  


The radio operator’s voice came in over the cacophony of the crashing helicopter. _“This is Abel Township calling_.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and snatched up an emergency parachute from underneath her seat. _“You’re coming down fast…can you hear us?! Open your shoots! Jump, jump!_

  


She looked over at the pilot, but the straps were tangled and the pilot was struggling to unclip her seatbelt. “Go! Go! I’ll see you down there.”

  


Civilian 1095-18 snatched a knife from her boot and slashed through the straps. The pilot blinked in astonishment but that was all she saw before throwing herself out the door of the helicopter. As she dropped through the air like a rock, she looked back up over her shoulder to see the helicopter spin away. She pulled the release for the parachute her body was yanked upright. The parachute ballooned into the air, obscuring her view of the sky. 

  


Wind rushed past her ears in a roar, but she could just make out in her headphones Abel’s radio operator calling out in a panic. _“Hello? This is Abel Township calling, over?”_

  


The noise of her descent would have drowned out any answer, so she remained silent. Instead, she looked down and her heart stopped as she noticed the milling figures below her feet. Their lurching movements told her they could only be zombies. If she landed on top of them, she was screwed.

  


_“If there’s anyone alive, if you’ve got your parachute open, this is Sam Yao, from Abel Township. Ah,”_ his voice shook. _“I’m just the radio operator, man, I’m not supposed to handle this stuff!”_

  


A breeze kicked up and started to pushed her away from the horde. **Come on, come on _,_** she urged the wind as the ground rushed towards her much more quickly than she was comfortable with. She just needed a little bit more to escape the worst of the horde. Luck was with her, and she came down in a shallow valley empty enough of zombies to give her time to run. 

  


Her landing was a rough one. Her legs buckled on contact and she had to break her fall with her hands. Others might have described her landing as a face-plant, if there was anyone around to see. But she got to her feet and fumbled at the straps of the parachute. She didn’t have much time before she was overrun.

  


Sam’s voice came through her headphones again. _“Listen, you’ve come down in a horde of zombies. They’ve heard the noise, they’re coming! There are-thirty? No, forty- aw, crap! You’re only safe path is towards the tower.”_

  


The buckles finally released and she shrugged off the heavy parachute. She scanned the horizon for the tower Sam mentioned. There! A dark needle against the sky. The chorus of moans, like a herd of sick cows, grew steadily louder. A boom echoed behind her and she whirled around. Black smoke billowed into the sky, lit from underneath by the flames from the wreckage. She hoped the pilot had made it out

  


_“Please, if there’s anyone alive there, just run. Run!”_

  


She had no supplies, no backup and a horde of zombies closing in on her. All she could do was run.

  


She raced by the shamblers, making a beeline for the tower. Some of the moms tracked her progress, but the conflagration to the south kept grabbing their attention. After a mile or so she was able to lose whatever stragglers were behind her as she entered a sparsely wooded forest. It was only a couple of minutes before that voice, already a familiar one, spoke in her ear.

  


_“Wow, there’s…there’s someone alive down there, running! Hey can you hear me?”_

  


“Passenger one, Jolly Alpha Five Niner, responding,” she said.

  


_“No answer._ ”

  


She huffed, but kept running. He knew she was there at least, and if he could see her he would see she was heading in the right direction. All she had to do was make it to Abel.

  


_“Look at ‘em go! Heading for the tower just like I said. Okay…running person._ ” She snorted. _“If you can hear me, well, you’re doing great. The main group’s behind you, and you’re going to come out of this forest soon but there’s a…yeah, well, I can’t think of a phrase that’s not ‘small army of zombies.’ Sorry, don’t do so well under massive pressure.”_

  


**Can’t blame him** , she thought. He was being a little hard on himself, people didn’t often have to deal with helicopter crashes in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

  


_“There’s a…well, one of those, directly to the east of the trees. So, if you head more towards the old saw mill---_ "

  


She rolled her eyes. As if she knew where the old saw mill was… **oh.** She crossed a gravel road and noted the large, rusted red signs warning travelers not to trespass on the abandoned mill. She adjusted her direction.

  


_“Look at that, they’re changing direction! They can…you can hear me!”_ Sam laughed. _“Okay, okay,”_ he muttered to himself. _“We can keep you safe. It’s cool, it’s cool, we can bring you in.”_

  


She thought she heard a voice in the background but she couldn’t make out what they said. Sam answered them instead.

  


_“No, we can’t ask them that!”_ he hissed as if trying to keep it a secret, but she could hear his every word. _“They might be injured!”_

  


A woman’s voice responded, much closer this time so that she could hear what the woman said. _“Well, all the more reason to ask them! This is Doctor Myers, only medic here at Abel Township. Lord knows I’m sorry to ask you this, but your route will take you almost past the old hospital.”_

  


Her tone was brisk and business-like. She sounded like someone used to being in charge. **Here it comes** , she thought wryly.

  


_“We know there are medical kits still there from the first wave of infection—if you could pick up even one or two, that would help us.”_

  


_“It’s too dangerous!”_ Sam interrupted, a little more desperate than before. _“You know what happened to Runner Five!”_

  


_“The zoms have all followed the noise of the crash,”_ Maxine argued.

  


_“But what about whoever fired that rocket launcher?”_ She was impressed Sam still fought for her, even though medical kits were worth more than gold nowadays and he didn’t even know her. She knew it wasn’t going to be enough, this doctor was used to getting her way.

  


The doctor was unperturbed by Sam’s arguement. _“If someone wants to kill that runner, taking an unusual route will make it even harder, not easier! I don’t want to be hard-headed, but everyone in this township earns their keep. You should be able to see the Robinson hospital now.”_

  


She saw a group of square towers, connected to each other by skywalks. Other buildings littered the ground around them and even from here she could see the empty spaces where windows used to be. _“One of the buildings, Gryphon Towers, it’s the tallest in the city. If you can’t find anything…we might not be able to let you in when you get here.”_

  


**That’s more like it** , she thought with a touch of bitter humor. She had to pay her way into Mullins once, what felt like a lifetime ago. Why would it be any different at Abel? 

  


She slowed to a walk as she neared the the city limits and kept her head on a swivel for zombies. As she walked, Sam tried to make the silence a little less strained. _“Okay, okay…Man, that’s great, you’re making good time. No broken legs, I guess.”_ He laughed but it sounded forced. _“Hey, uh, listen…I’m gonna call you Runner Five. Um, just ‘cause, well, I don’t know your name and we just lost a runner, in that same hospital you’re running through now. She was so fast, really funny, and clever. Me and her, we sort of…”_ he sighed.

  


She felt a twinge of sadness and, oddly, guilt for this woman whom the people on the other end of the radio had lost. She wasn’t sure how she felt, being called by that lost runner’s number. But it felt better than being called “civilian 1025-18.” Runner Five had people who cared about her. 

  


_“She was amazing.”_ Sam continued. _“But…hey! You could be our new Runner Five! If you make it back alive.”_

  


She appreciated his effort to be cheerful as she picked her way through the desolate streets on her way towards the hospital. Abandoned, rusting cars populated the sides of the roads. Rubbish was scattered across the sidewalk or drifting across the pavement on a breeze Five couldn’t feel. As she jogged towards the entrance of Gryphon Tower, shattered glass shimmered on the pavement like diamonds in the sunlight.

  


She pushed the hospital door open, sweeping paper and more glass out of the way before stepping over the threshold. The lights were off and counter abandoned. Chairs were tipped over in the waiting room, as if a mob had rushed out in a hurry.

  


“ _Okay, keep heading through he ground floor of the hospital. There’s a little swarm gathering in the parking lot I don’t like the look of,”_

  


Five glanced behind her and noticed some movement outside the windows. She started running through the hallways, keeping a lookout for anything she could shove in her backpack that might be useful, hoping she would find the thing that would let her through those gates.

  


_“We think there might be some…well, we sent the old Runner Five there looking for some file the Doc’s interested in, so uh, you know, if you find anything official-looking lying around, just bring it home.”_

  


Five shifted uncomfortably at that last word, but forced herself to press forward. She would bring whatever she could find _back._ She didn’t have a home, not anymore. She just needed to complete this mission and then get behind some walls— or fences, in this case.

  


She ran past a dark room with a door slightly ajar but backtracked once what she saw inside actually registered in her brain. It looked like a makeshift research lab, with papers strewn about the floor. Five stepped inside and, out of habit, flicked on the light switch. Lights actually flickered on, and she thought a generator must still be working somewhere. 

  


Slim boxes were still lined up along the shelves, she ran her finger along their spines and stopped on one that said “CDC.” Maybe that would do the trick.

  


She swiped it from the shelf and held onto it as she run further through he hospital, since it was to properly fit in her backpack. 

  


_“Hey, there you are!”_

  


Five stopped, frowning as she looked around. _“I’ve got you on camera now,”_ Sam clarified. She looked up to see a small security camera blinking in the corner. _“Great to see you, even though you’re kinda blurry,”_ he laughed. _“Hey, what’s that you’re carrying?”_

  


She held up the CDC binder to the camera to give him a better look. _“Look at this Doc—Runner Five picked up something.”_

  


Doctor Myers came on the comms. _“Is that the Centers for Disease Control file?”_

  


_“What’s that?”_

  


_“Runner Five, I don’t say this lightly—that box could be worth your life to protect. Don’t drop it.”_

  


Five shrugged and started running back through the hospital. If this was the thing that would get her inside, then she might as well start heading to Abel. After a few turns through the hallways, she found an emergency exit and pushed the door open. She stepped out into the bright sunlight. 

  


_“What’s that shadow over there?”_ Doctor Meyers asked.

  


Five glanced around the alley, but it was Sam who answered the question.

  


_“Aw no, no, this is what—“_ He sighed. _“When we sent her out, this was what happened! They’re following you, Runner Five. The swarm from the car park, they’re following you! Now, run!”_

  


Just then a small herd of zombies rounded the corner of the hospital building, hands outstretched. Some looked like doctors, but most were in civilian clothing. All of them were bloodstained and ripped, and had pieces of skin missing. Their eyes were vacant yet still seemed to zero in on her location. There was a zom in front of the swarm with a backpack on and running clothes. Her red hair was halfway out of a ponytail and the new Runner Five could see bite marks on the woman’s arms and legs. A headset was tangled in her hair and hanging halfway off of her head. 

  


She took off in a sprint, her muscles protesting only a little as she picked up the pace and tried to outrun the feeling of dread trickling into her stomach. It didn’t take long to leave the hospital and pavement behind and make her way onto the fields. The black tower was still in sight, like a black needle of a compass telling her which way to go. 

  


The growls behind her hadn’t faded like they were supposed to. A small twinge of uncertainty crept up the back of her neck and she cast a glance over her shoulder. 

  


The zombies were keeping pace.

  


Not only were they keeping pace, some of them were catching up. That woman with the backpack was in the lead. Five pushed herself to a greater speed and the thumping of her heart came as much from fear as adrenaline. 

  


_“They’re so fast, why are they so fast?!”_ Sam stammered. _“They never run, why are they running?? Runner Five, Funner Five, they’re gaining on you!”_

**Yep, got that** , she thought.A particularly fast zom—that woman—reached towards her and the stench of rotten death filled her nose. Panic fizzed through her, and her vision narrowed and crystalized for a few more seconds. Every muscle in her body aligned and she ducked and dodged out of the way, veering sharply to put a few more feet between her and them.

  


_“Runner Five, you’re not far from the gates now. If you can keep going, we’ll send some people with guns out to meet you. Only one zombie is close to reaching you, just put on a burst of speed, now!”_

  


Five followed the Doctor’s orders and shifted into an all out sprint. That one zom was still keeping pace, but she wasn’t in imminent danger of being caught.

  


_“Oh God…it’s her.”_

  


Five’s heart dropped at the grief in Sam’s voice. _“I can see her…it’s Alice, it’s the old Runner Five. She’s the one chasing you, she’s…she’s still wearing her headset! She’s…”_

  


She took the chance to look over her shoulder again. The zombie—Alice—was closing in, both arms outstretched and her mouth hanging open in a groan. There was no life in her eyes. Her eyes caught on the Alice’s blood-spattered armband, with the black number 5 written on it.

  


A new voice came in over her own headset. _“Runner Five, it’s Runner Seven here, head of runners. The doctor’s told me you found something useful in the hospital. We’re sending out a couple of people to bring you in. Just keep running as fast as you can! Don’t look back.”_

  


Five wasn’t going to argue. As she topped a gentle rise, she could finally see the rest of Abel Township, spread out around the radio tower. People were emerging from a break in the fence, coming in her direction. She could even see people standing on wooden guard towers to either side of the gates readying weapons.

  


“This way, run!” A man waved at her. Five kept going, knowing Alice was right behind her, and knowing that if she slowed down to look she was probably a goner.

  


_“They’re going to shoot her. I—I can’t watch, I don’t want to…”_

  


Five closed her eyes for a brief moment in silent apology as she heard Maxine comforting Sam over her headset.

  


“Run!” Someone shouted, much louder now. “We’ve got her covered!”

  


She opened her eyes and could see the gates in front of her, large metal slabs connected to pulley systems on either side. As Sam ordered raising the gates, a smattering of gunshots burst around her. She tried not to flinch as they took down all of the zombies following her, including Alice.

  


Five couldn’t look back. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

  


Sirens blared and a rhythmic clunking of metal signaled her arrival into Abel Township proper. She slowed to a stop and looked around in bewilderment and the crowd milling about the entrance. As soon as she stepped through the gates, voices bombarded her from all sides.

  


“Welcome!”

  


“The Major will want to see you, when she gets back—“

  


“Hey, great to see a new face!”

  


“Did you bring any food? Canned food, dried food?

  


“Hey, you’ve picked dup some med packs!”

  


She held the box close to her chest and curled her shoulders in, as people crowded in on her. There was a joyous buzz to the air, even though the people were thin and their clothes were mismatched and threadbare. She instinctively clutched the CDC binder tighter to her chest. **Definitely not like Mullins** , she thought.

  


“Hey! Good to see you in the flesh…the totally unbroken, skin-not-bitten-by-zombies flesh, right?”

  


Five turned as a tall young man with dark hair in an orange jumper, with a kind, expressive face pushed through the crowd. “Step back, step back everyone, don’t crowd!” He shooed away the people around her. “Give Runner Five some space! She can’t take in so many new faces right now.” She noticed a couple of fond, exasperated looks thrown his way, but the crowd did thin out a little.

  


“Glad you could make it! I’m, uh, sorry about the detour,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s just the Doc…”

  


“It’s all right,” she couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips. He was sweet, and somehow made her feel at ease in this new place. “You must be Sam,” she sad.

  


“Sam Yao, at your service,” he said with a bow, sweeping out his arm. “I’m the radio operator for all of the runners, and you’ve shown already you’ll be a great addition to the team.”

  


It was then Five noticed that his eyes were a little red and looked like some tears had dried on his cheeks. “Hey, Sam,—“

  


“That’s who they’ve assigned for project Greenshoot,” someone whispered.

  


Five whirled around, looking for whoever had spoken. People were walking around, going about their business but no one was looking at her in a way that would tell her who had spoken.

  


“Uh, Runner Five?”

  


She shook her head. “Sorry,” she shrugged. “Thought I heard something.”

  


“Hey, no worries. You had a crazy first run,” Sam smiled. “Come on, I’ll show you around and introduce you to Janine and Doc, and the other runners, and—oh” he stopped when he must have sensed her rising apprehension. “Probably just Janine and the Doc for now. We can get you settled before showing you everything else.” he linked his arm with hers and she raised her eyebrows, but didn’t pull away as he led her into the Township.

  


***

“You were the extra assistance sent from Mullins Base?”

  


Five shook the blonde woman’s hand. “Yes ma’am.” She eyed Janine DeLuca, wondering if she was finally going to learn about Project Greenshoot. “I’m sorry about the supplies.”

  


“You did not shoot down the helicopter with a rocket launcher,” Janine said crisply. “It is unfortunate the supplies were lost, we could have used them. But it’s impressive you were able to survive the crash and bring back valuable information for Dr. Meyers.”

  


**Didn’t really have much of a choice** , she thought. But she didn’t say anything. She had no idea how long she was going to be here, and her strategy for Mullins would serve her just as well at Abel: Keep your head down, don’t get involved, and stay alive.

  


“Have you heard from the pilot?” She asked.

  


Janine shook her head. “I’m afraid not. After the fire dies down and the horde disperses, we will send out runners to survey the wreckage. In the meantime, our radio operator will be advised to look out for any information as to her whereabouts.”

The silence between them stretched as Janine leaned back in her chair and scrutinized Five. “Mr. Yao told me what happened on your run through the hospital.”

  


Five clasped her hands behind her back. “I’m sorry about your runner.”

  


A flash of genuine sorrow crossed Janine’s face. “Thank you. Alice was one of our best, and losing one of our people like that,” she shook her head. “But she knew the risk when she signed up to help the Township.”

  


“She volunteered?”

  


Janine looked sharply at her. “That’s how we operate here at Abel. Everyone does their part, but the parts they choose.” She gestured to an empty chair in front of her desk. “Tell me about your time at Mullins.”

  


Five sat down gingerly on the edge of the chair. “Not much to tell. When I arrived near the start of the outbreak, I had no special skills. So I ran errands for people around the base.”

  


Janine didn’t need to know that errand-girl was at the very bottom of the food chain at Mullins. She didn’t need to know that Five had to fight every night for her little five-by-five space on the floor of one of the bunkhouses, or that people at the top pressured her to do awful things just for a little bit of extra food. Five had held out, but she learned how to live on hunger, with just a dash of paranoia.

  


“Well, you kept your head out in the field, which is always a valuable skill.” Janine opened a side drawer and pulled out a piece of paper. “Here is a list of open positions around the base you are welcome to take while you’re with us. But, honestly, if you can move above a slow shamble we can use you. Any little bit of help is welcome to keep the Township afloat.”

  


“You mean as a Runner?” She asked carefully.

  


Janine nodded. “I think you would do well as runner. If you would like, I can have Dr. Meyers direct you through a couple weeks of training to get you acclimated. Besides,” she smiled gently, “it sounds like Mr. Yao has already approved your runner’s number.”

  


Five looked down at her feet, working through all the scenarios in her head. If Janine was the person who would tell her abut Greenshoot, she wasn’t very forthcoming yet. If not, she had no idea who to watch for. And even once she got her assignment, who is to say how long it would take to complete? Being a runner might put her in the best position to whether whatever was coming for her.

  


Besides, for a few moments there she had actually enjoyed it.

  


“All right, I’ll do it,” she decided, meeting Janine’s gaze.

  


Janine nodded. “Report to the race track two days from now, for your first day of training. You will also be housed in the runners’ barracks. Runner Seven, head of runners, will get you situated. Supper is served in mess hall from 6:00 to 8:00, or until the food runs out. I suggest you get there early. Thank you, Runner Five.” Five could have sworn there was a twinkle of mischief in Janine’s eye. “You’re dismissed.”

  


  


Later that evening, Five entered the mess hall, which was really a re-purposed barn cleaned out and cleaned up to serve as a cafeteria. It had been fairly easy to find on her own, she just followed the general flow of people and used her nose. She was hoping she could just slip in unnoticed with the rest, eat quickly, and get back to her new bunk.

  


She moved into the line forming on one side of the building, the soft chatter soothing after the events of the day, especially since none of it was directed at her. Five watched carefully for some sort of hierarchy—people cutting in line, or waiting on the sides for their turn to eat—but there was none of that here. The crowd was surprisingly orderly.

  


“It took a while for people to realize the Major was serious about the rules, especially when it came to food. But we got the message eventually.”

  


Five turned around. A young man with bright red hair and a lot of freckles was grinning at her. “I noticed you looking around like you were waiting for a fight to break out or something,” he explained. “But don’t worry, you’re in good hands here. I’m Jack,” he held out his hand for Five to shake. “The arm candy behind me is Eugene.”

  


Another man waved at her over Jack’s shoulder. “Hi there,” he said. He had dark skin, dark hair and towered over Jack. He slung an easy arm over Jack’s shoulder.

  


Five shook Jack’s hand. “Hi. I’m R—I’m the new runner.”

  


“Oh, we heard,” Jack said. “Word gets around fast, especially with a mysterious newcomer.”

  


“And one who survives a helicopter crash,” Eugene added.

  


Jack nodded. “We’re the hosts of Radio Abel, so we’ve got our fingers on the pulse around here.”

  


“This place has a pulse?” She asked drily.

  


Eugene laughed. “Oh, she’s funny!”

  


“Look, I’m sure you had some grand plans about snatching the food and scurrying away by yourself, but why don’t you sit with us and we can give you the scoop on all things Abel,” Jack offered.

  


“What’s the catch?” The had reached the front of the line and Five took a plate from the stack at the end of the table.

  


Jack held up both his hands. “No catch, promise.”

  


“We know how daunting it is, coming to a new place.” Eugene took his own plate and winked at the cook serving a mystery casserole dish. “Thank you, love.” She rolled her eyes, but grinned at him. “And maybe down the line if you do some crazy heroics you might find it in your heart to give us an exclusive interview.”

  


Five followed them, confident she would never perform any heroics requiring an interview. Jack and Eugene did most—if not all—of the talking, but she found herself laughing more in conversation with these two than she had in at least the last month.

  


“What do you think ‘Gene?” Jack leaned back and pushed his empty plate away.

  


“I think I like her,” Eugene’s eyes sparkled.

  


“Thanks ever so much,” Five muttered.

  


They started to get up from the table and Five followed suit. She carried her empty plate to a large tup filled with dirty plates. “We don’t wash them?”

  


“There’s a volunteer chore list every two weeks,” Jack explained. “We’re all expected to sign up for some. There usually isn’t any trouble finding volunteers. But you’re a runner, so you’ve got some leeway.”

  


They left the mess hall, pausing outside the barn. The sun was going down and when Five looked up she could see a few stars appearing. “It’s game night tonight in the rec building, if you want to join us,” Eugene offered.

  


Five shook her head. “Thanks. But I’m going to head back. Long day,” she smiled. “And thanks for the welcome party.”

  


Jack smiled. “All right, if you’re sure. But if you need anything, come find us.”

  


The two men waved as they parted ways and Five ambled her way back to the runners’ bunkhouse. She could see people outside their residential buildings, gathered around small campfires. A few children chased each other between buildings. 

  


That never would have happened at Mullins. First, there was the curfew. People broke it sure, but it didn’t go well if you were caught. Second, people didn’t like each other—at least in her block. It was a rare thing to just sit outside and chat with strangers.

  


They looked up as Five passed, and she was strangely comforted to see a familiar caution in their eyes. She lifted her fingers in a wave but kept on walking. She could be friendly, but she didn’t need to make friends.

  


“Hey, Runner Five, wait up!”

  


Five paused, startled, and turned around. Sam was waving.

  


He jogged up to her, out of breath. “Sorry I wasn’t able to finish your tour of the Township today. Are you getting all settled?”

  


She started walking towards the bunks again, Sam keeping pace beside her. “I’ve got a place to sleep, and food to eat,” she answered. “That’s all I need.”

  


“We’re having game night down at the rec room,” he said. “We also have movie night every two weeks, although you got to space those out since our collection is…selective.”

  


Five snorted.

  


“Runner 4 is trying to get a knitting club started, if that’s your thing,” Sam continued. “And we’ve got a growing library collection. If you’re looking for any other Township activities, most people write them on the big chalk board near the bookshelves.”

  


“Do people write on the chalk board a lot?”

  


Sam nodded. “Oh yeah! Like, Maxine and I try to get a Demons and Darkness group together every once a while so we post on that when we can. People are pretty creative around here when it comes to things to do. Keeps our minds off the whole apocalypse thing, you know?”

  


Five nodded. “Thanks, Sam. I might check out the library at some point, but I’m not much of a group activities person.”

  


“That’s okay! We’ve got something for everyone.” They made it to the front door of the runner’s barracks and stopped. “Just let me know if there is anything you need, we want you to feel at home here.” 

  


There was that word again. But he was being so earnest she didn’t have the heart to tell him that finding a home just wasn’t in the cards for her. “I’ll let you know.”

  


Sam smiled. “Great! Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then for your first day of training. Good night!”

  


Five waved as Sam jogged away. She walked inside and settled down on her new bunk, checking to make sure her nearly-empty bag was still in the trunk at the foot of the bed. In the semi-quiet of a sleeping bunkhouse Five pulled the sheets up nearly over head and curled up on her side and firmly closed her eyes. Tomorrow, she would start her life as a runner. 

  


A good night’s sleep was probably a good idea.

  


  


***

They kept her within Abel’s walls for the first week of her training, except when Janine took over and had her complete a quick weapon’s pick up. Mullins had neglected to brief her on the animosity between Abel and New Canton that she picked up on from Janine. Hopefully, she would be done with Project Greenshoot and out of here before that came to a head.

  


Maxine was an encouraging and kind trainer during her sessions, and the runs when Sam joined the doc on the comms were already becoming her favorite. Other runners who popped in and out during her sessions, and all of them seemed happy to welcome a new face. But Five expected the gossip to be flowing in the barracks after they took her measure. 

  


The second week into her training and Five was already outfitted in a runner’s uniform. It was really nothing more than a red tank top with the number ‘5’ painted on it, but she felt a strange sense of pride while wearing it. She sported a dagger at her hip and carried the old Runner Five’s backpack to complete the look.

  


“Hey, Runner Five!” Sam waved at her from beside the gate. He was in trainer and running shorts, as if he were about to go on a run right beside her.

  


“Hey, Sam,” she grinned. “What’s going on?”

  


“We’re changing things up a bit today. The Doc’s at the comms desk—“

  


_“Hi there, Runner Five,”_ Maxine said over her headset. Having a voice in her head other than her own was something she was still getting used to.

  


“But I, as you can see, am out here with you. And we’re going outside Abel today, just a little way.” He stretched an arm over his head in an exaggerated manner and Five snickered.

  


_“Yeah, I’m not sure that is a great idea,”_ Maxine cautioned. 

Five said nothing. She was ready to get out of the base again, but she didn’t want to intrude on this conversation.

  


“It’s the best idea!” Sam said, jogging in place now. “No zoms on the horizon, and I get tired, cooped up in that little shack. It’ll be good for me to run around, let off a little steam. You’ve been telling me I need to relax.”

  


_“Well,”_ Maxine hesitated. _“As long as you’re okay.”_

  


“I’m fine! Finer than fine, I’m superb!” He sounded distinctly not-fine, and a prickle of suspicion tickled the back of her mind. But she didn’t think it was her place to argue with him, at least not yet. She would just be sure to keep a close eye on him during the run.

  


“Besides, those heel lifts look crazy fun,” he teased Five. “Just want to try them out.”

  


Five rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. I’m only doing what I’m told.”

  


Maxine laughed. _“Okay, then, Runner Five and Sam. This is your second run this week, and it’s going to go just the same as the last one.”_

  


“Aye aye, Doc,” Sam saluted. The pulleys next to the gates cranked into motion and the sirens blared as the gates started to rise.

  


They left Abel at a brisk walk, Five following Sam’s direction. He took a deep breath and lifted his face towards the early morning sun. It was early enough that her shoes were damp from the dew still on the grass. “Um, why don’t we head down that way.” He pointed to the right, down a slight slope.

  


_“Only as long as you stay on camera where I can see you,”_ Maxine ordered.

  


Five glanced sidelong at Sam as he made a beeline towards the direction he had indicated. After five minutes of silence and increasing distress, he started to mutter to himself. “I was sure it was around here. Quite near here, where she…”

  


_“What was that Sam?”_

  


He looked up, startled. “Uh, nothing. We’re good, just a bit more walking, then some run drills, right?” 

  


_“You’re certainly welcome to join in with Runner Five’s drills. After each run, you’ll do heel lifts.”_

  


Before she started the drills, Five covered the microphone on her headset with her hand. “You okay?”

  


He waved her concerns away. “I’m just glad to be getting some fresh air. With days like these I’m actually little jealous of you runners!”

  


Five released the headset but resolved to keep a closer eye on him as they began to run across the empty fields. The untamed wild grasses rustled in the wind, a pleasant sound when there was no threat zombies mixed in.

  


When Maxine ordered a halt to do heel lifts, Five was glad for the break. She stood in place and raised her body up on her toes and then back down. She looked over to see if Sam was actually doing the exercises with her, but he was just standing there, staring at the ground. Five stopped her exercises and touched his shoulder.

  


“Do you think this was about the place where—where they brought down Alice? The old Runner Five?” He asked softly.

  


_“Sam…”_

  


“No, no, I’m just…I’m just wondering.” 

  


Five kept her hand on his shoulder, but found herself having no idea what to say. The empty backpack on her shoulders suddenly felt heavier.

  


_“Sam, I need you to focus out there. If there are any zoms in the area, you need to be ready to go. Are you okay, or do you need to come back in now?”_

  


“I can take you back,” Five offered. “I’ll do drills another time.”

  


He shook his head. “I’m fine. I’m fine. We’ve done our heel lifts, right? Now what?”

  


When Maxine ordered them to start walking again, Five squeezed his shoulder once and then let go. It was impossible to completely focus on the run as her worry about Sam grew. It was clear by now he was on this run for another reason and he was distracted. Being distracted was bound to get you killed. 

  


So, it was going to be her job to make sure he got back to Abel. He had saved her life, after all. 

  


They made it through two more rounds of running and heel lifts, with Sam trying to crack a joke or two, before Five had to ask.

  


“All right. What exactly are you looking for?”

  


He jumped and looked up at her, startled. “What?”

  


Five stopped doing her heel lifts. “You keep scanning the ground, and not for zombies. What are you looking for? I can—“ she fumbled suddenly over the words. “I can help if you want?”

  


“Oh, um, well,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s nothing, I just wanted to come out because I thought Alice might have…well, there was this thing she always carried, and they didn’t find it on her, and I thought she might have dropped it. That’s all,” he shrugged. “But there’s nothing here, so now I know.”

  


She frowned and started to speak, but Sam quickly interrupted her. “Why don’t you keep going and I’ll come back to you in a bit.”

  


“Sam, wait!” She snapped as Sam took off running.

  


A bit of panic trickled into Maxine’s voice. _“Runner Five, I don’t know what Sam’s doing, but you need to bring him back. Run after him. Run!”_

  


She was already running after him. No way was she going to let him go out there by himself. The soil gave a little bit under her feet, but he was easy to keep track of—a bright blue jumper darting through the grass.

  


Five lengthened her stride just a little to close the gap between them. When she did finally catch up Sam’s head was bowed over something in his hands.

  


_“Oh thank God,”_ Maxine sighed. _“Sam, what the hell are you doing?!”_

  


“I found it!” He looked up at Five with a smile. “I found her wallet. She always carried it. It had pictures of her family, things she’d found out. She didn’t want to leave it around the base in case someone - “

  


_“For God’s sake, Sam, you don’t just run off!”_ Maxine snapped. Five glared at him, but clenched her jaw shut to keep from piling on. Maxine was berating him enough for both of them, but that didn’t ease her racing heart. _“Look, will you both just come back as quickly as you can? Should be about 10 minutes away.”_

  


Sam looked at her with wide eyes. “Five—“

  


She jerked her head back towards Abel’s direction. “Come on.” 

  


They ran the rest of the way back to base in silence, only slowing to a walk when either she or Sam needed a breather. Ten minutes later and they were both walking through the gates. Five breathed easier once they clattered down behind them. She and Sam stood awkwardly in silence as Maxine came back on over their headsets.

  


_“Sam, what were you playing at out there?”_

  


He fiddled with the wallet in his hands, unable to meet Five’s gaze. “I just..I had to know if there was a chance I could find something, Maxine. I just had to know! It was so important to her. It’s stuff about her sister.” He quickly wiped his eyes. 

  


_“Sam, you can just tell me you know. You can always just tell me,”_ Maxine said softly. Five hugged herself, frozen with indecision about how to comfort him or if he would even accept it from her.

  


“I…um…I think I’m…going to hit the bunk for a bit,” Sam mumbled. He swung his own backpack around in front of him and dug through it quickly before pulling out a headset. The number “5” was written on one earpiece in white marker. “Here, Five. You’ve been using a spare one until now, but here’s own of your very own. Courtesy of Janine.”

  


He put the set in Five’s waiting hands with a quick half-smile before walking off. She watched him go, cradling the precious equipment in her hands.

  


Maxine sighed. _“Good work today, Five, and well done on keeping your cool. Take a day or two off now and we’ll see you back here in a few days.”_

  


She clicked off the loaner headset and returned it to the supply barn, now that she had her own. She held her headset carefully all the way back to the runners’ barracks. But through her cool down, quick shower, and a bite to eat, she couldn’t get the look in Sam’s eyes out of her head. She should leave well enough alone. It’s hard get past the losses suffered in this apocalypse, but everyone has gone through a loss in some capacity. Things would be easier if she just kept her head down and didn’t get involved. **Remember** , she told herself. **You aren’t here to make friends.**

  


But Sam had been kind to her when he didn’t need to be. She found herself wanting to repay that kindness.

  


After dinner that night, Five found herself outside Maxine’s lab, staring at the tent entrance. She fiddled with a hair tie, twisting it around and around her fingers. The lab itself was nothing more than a large tent constructed out of sturdy burlap, but it was an impressive feat for their situation. Eventually they would gather enough supplies to make the hospital a little more permanent, but what they had worked. 

  


She huffed in annoyance at herself. What good did she think she was going to do? She barely knew Sam, and had no idea what she could say.

  


But here she was anyway, like a kid dropped off at the gates and left alone on the first day of a new school. She took a quick, strong breath before pushing through the tent flap. It was dim inside, and quiet. One of the knots in her stomach loosened when Sam was the only one in there. He was bent over a table, tapping a pencil on the edge of it as he leafed through a stack of papers.

  


She rapped her knuckle on one of the tent poles. "Sam?"

  


He looked up with a start. His pencil stopped for a moment, but as soon as he recognized her, he started twirling it between his fingers. "Oh! Hi, sorry I didn't see you there. Maxine isn't here, I think she's still over in the hospital." 

  


She nodded. "I know. I was looking for you, she told me to come here."

  


"For me?" He frowned. Then his confusion cleared after a moment and winced. "This is about what happened during your training run, isn't it? Oh, Five, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have run off like that and I wanted to apologize right after, it's just--"

  


"You don't need apologize," she interrupted softly. "I only wanted to say..." She shrugged her right shoulder. "It can't be easy, my taking the same number she had. I'm sorry you lost her.”

  


He fiddled with the pencil and could only meet her eyes for a few seconds before looking away. "Thanks," he said. "Really, I--I appreciate it."

  


Five looked down at her feet. “Listen, I can take another number if that would make it easier.” She felt an unexpected pang at the thought of giving it up, but she knew she had to.

  


He got halfway to his feet in a rush to reassure her. “Oh no! That’s not it, I—actually, I think Alice would really have liked you to have her number. I just,” he sat back down again, his shoulders slumped. “I just didn’t want all of her memories to fade, you know?”

  


She moved closer to the table and leaned back against it. “I get it.” She looked down. “My dad, he did this thing where he wrote in the margins of his favorite books. Questions he had while reading, random thoughts, underlining good quotes, whatever he felt like. I couldn’t bear to leave the house without his favorite book because it had so much of him in it, you know?”

  


Sam studied her, but Five wasn’t looking him. “Do you still have it?” He asked.

  


Five shook her head, sudden tears filling her eyes. “No. I brought it with me but…it went down with the helicopter. I doubt it survived the fire.”

  


“Oh,” Sam breathed. “I’m sorry.”

  


She shook her head, blinking hard to get rid of the tears. She hadn’t talked about her dad like that, to anyone, since z-day. “What I’m trying to say is, I understand wanting to find something of hers. I didn’t know Alice. But if you ever want to talk about her…I’m around.”

  


Sam gave her a soft smile. “Thanks, Five.”

  


Five nodded. But the silence between them was too heavy with the weight of shared loss to bear for long. She had to ease it, somehow. “Is it,” she cleared her throat, unsure about her next thought but pushing ahead anyway. “Is it true you guys have _Catan_ here?” 

  


Sam brightened. “We do! You feel like a game? I bet we could get a good group together. I should warn you though, if Simon wants to join he can get pretty competitive.”

  


“I’m not worried,” she grinned.

  


Sam hopped off of the crate serving as his chair and they left the lab together, heading towards the rec room—which Five still had not visited. “You know, if you like _Catan_ , we can get you on the tournament list for next month. Jody’s looking for a partner.”

  


Five laughed. “We’ll see.” She only offered this time to make Sam feel better. There was no need to get more involved than she already was, but he didn’t need to know that right now.

  


**

  


After that game, her name found its way on the tournament list. Sam and Jody could be very persuasive when they wanted to be, and it was the sensible thing to foster some goodwill with other runners. **Besides** , she told herself, **we probably won’t be in that long.**

  


She and Jody came in third. 

  



End file.
